Shaun Reardon (Jemena) President
I have been on the APGA Board for…
I was first voted onto the APGA Board in October 2011 and was appointed Vice President in 2014 and I was elected as President at the recent convention on the Gold Coast.
I have been in the pipeline industry for…
I have worked in the energy industry for more than 20 years, first taking on responsibility for pipelines in 2007. As Jemena’s Executive General Manager Strategy Regulation and Markets, I oversee commercial activity and development on our pipeline assets: the Eastern Gas Pipeline, Queensland Gas Pipeline, Colongra Pipeline and VicHub.
It’s an exciting time right now for Jemena’s pipelines business. The company has been selected by the Northern Territory government to build and operate the North East Gas Interconnector, linking the Top End’s vast gas fields to the industrial hub of Mt Isa. Jemena’s pipelines team is currently busy progressing preliminary works on the project, and first gas will flow to Queensland in 2018.
The most pressing issue the pipeline industry faces at present is…
Safety is a perennial issue. Despite our industry’s impeccable safety record we can never rest on our laurels, and the Energy Pipelines Cooperative Research Centre’s programs help drive continuous improvement across our industry.
From a commercial perspective, the industry needs positive investment signals to ensure growth. More gas needs to be made available and we need to be able to ship it to market efficiently and competitively, without unnecessary regulatory intervention.
Ultimately pipeline investment will mean business opportunities for all APGA members.
Donna McDowall (Quanta Services Australia)
I have been on the APGA Board for…
I was voted on as one of the two new Directors (with John Stuart-Robertson) to the APGA Board at the recent Convention on the Gold Coast.
I have been in the pipeline industry for…
20 years in my field, 10 years directly with the pipelines and gas industries. I am Vice President at Quanta Services Australia, part of the US$8 billion Quanta Services Inc contracting services company.
My previous roles have included Community and Stakeholder Program Manager on the Southern Regional Water Pipeline, Eastern Pipeline Interconnector and Northern Interconnector Pipeline Stage 1; Community and Stakeholder Manager on the Northern Interconnector Pipeline Stage 2; Social Performance Manager on QCLNG; Communications Consultant on APLNG; and Corporate Communications Consultant for McConnell Dowell’s Pipelines Division.
The most pressing issue the pipeline industry faces at present is…
Gas supply challenges. The continuing moratoriums on gas exploration and development in NSW and Victoria are major contributors to the gas supply challenges facing the domestic market.
What type of contributions do you want to make to the APGA Board?
My background stems from communications; public relations, community engagement, stakeholder lobbying and market positioning. I think I’ll be able to utilise these skills both internally to foster the unique culture that represents APGA, and externally to ensure the voice of our members is heard and listened too.
How important is APGA in furthering the pipeline and gas industries in Australia and the region as whole?
Imperative, and that is recognised by the members support even in this period of downturn. It is when market conditions are tough that a united voice that challenges policy and supports each other is at its best.
John Stuart-Robertson (Lucas Engineering & Construction)
I have been on the APGA Board for…
Two months – I was elected at the recent convention on the Gold Coast.
I have been in the pipeline industry for…
I commenced in the industry in 1993 as a cadet engineer while completing my university degree. My introduction was through completion of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) projects which I am still passionate about.
Through HDD I was able to gain experience on both our own and other contractors projects and some the significant pipelines include the Tasmanian Gas Pipeline, SEA Gas and Bonaparte Pipelines. In the last 8 years, I have moved back to the office and have been involved in business development, tender and estimating and am now Executive General Manager of Lucas Pipelines.
The most pressing issue the pipeline industry faces at present is…
As a construction contractor, our most pressing issue is to continue to keep our people safe every day. With the slowdown in the industry recently, we need to make sure we maintain a positive safety culture. We need to make sure we continue to focus on issues such as fatigue, safe driving and personal wellbeing.
What type of contributions do you want to make to the APGA Board?
Even though I have been involved in the industry for a long period, I hope to bring a fresh ideas and energy to the board. I have a focus on construction and contractor issues, but understand the need to provide a voice to all sectors of the industry.
How important is APGA in furthering the pipeline and gas industries in Australia and the region as whole?
The APGA is a critical proactive industry representative body. We must continue to raise the profile of natural gas and the important role that our transmission systems play.
Tony O’Sullivan (Murphy Pipe and Civil), Treasurer
I have been on the APGA Board for…
I have been on the APGA Board for 1 year. I was elected in October 2014.
I have been in the pipeline industry for…
I have been in the pipeline industry for over 18 years, and have worked on pipelines both in the UK and in Australia.
I am the Executive General Manager for Australian Construction with Murphy Pipe and Civil. When I was a project manager for Murphy Pipelines in the UK I worked on various pipelines, mostly 1,200 mm (48 inch) pipelines.
In Australia I have been involved in projects including Sino Iron in Western Australia, QGC Trunklines Phase 1, Comet Ridge to Wallumbilla Loop, QGC Trunklines Phase 2, QGC’s gathering networks, Woleebee to Glebe and various water pipelines in Western Australia and Queensland.
The most pressing issue the pipeline industry faces at present is…
It is well documented that the next number of years is predicted to be a quiet period, following the resources boom over the last number of years.
Among many challenges, the industry needs to ensure that the skills and expertise built up during this period are not lost, and the rich tradition of having high calibre pipeline engineers as the cornerstone of the industry is continued.
While there is no easy solution, companies need to encourage the next generation to get involved in the industry.
There are many ways which companies can get involved: assisting and facilitating engineers to obtain the “˜oil and gas pipeline’ recognition as a specific area of engineering practices within Engineers Australia, and encouraging involvement in the Young Pipeliners Forum.
Peter Cox (WorleyParsons Services)
I have been on the APGA Board for…
I have been on the APGA Board for over 10 years now.
I have been in the pipeline industry for…
I have been in the pipeline industry for 28 years, with 24 of those years with WorleyParsons. My current role is Vice President Pipelines for WorleyParsons with both local and global responsibilities.
Over my career, I have worked on a large number of pipelines in both Australia and overseas with some of the notable ones being the Tasmanian Gas Pipeline; the Eastern Gas Pipeline and compressor station; and the Berwyndale to Wallumbilla Gas Pipeline.
The most pressing issue the pipeline industry faces at present is…
The most pressing issue the pipeline industry faces at present is the role of gas in the future energy mix both in Australia and overseas. It is clear that gas has a major role to play yet we can’t sit back and wait for it to happen.
There are powerful groups that are intent on stopping the gas industry, hence the pipeline industry, at any cost despite the strong economic and scientific arguments supporting further development of gas.
Jim Frith (McConnell Dowell)
I have been on the APGA Board for…
I have been an APGA Board member since April 2013.
I have been in the pipeline industry for…
My role for McConnell Dowell is Executive General Manager of McConnell Dowell’s Pipelines Business Unit and I am responsible for the safe and profitable delivery of pipelines projects across each of the company’s operating regions.
Joining the business in 1989, I have worked with McConnell Dowell across each of its business units and in a variety of roles on projects throughout Australia, Thailand, the Middle East and the Philippines for a range of public and private clients.
The most pressing issue the pipeline industry faces at present is…
One of the most pressing issues for the Australian pipeline industry to address at present is the need to reduce the cost of engineering, procurement and construction while maintaining and improving on HSEQ standards.
My view is this will be best achieved by owners adopting a collaborative approach to contracting which can offer an efficient way to capture and leverage innovations and more effective risk mitigation and allocation. It is pleasing to see evidence of these changes over the past 12 months.
Kevin Lester (APA Group)
I have been on the APGA Board for…
I have been on the APGA Board for over seven years, since October 2008.
I have been in the pipeline industry for…
I have been in the pipeline industry for over 30 years.
I started my working career in 1985 with a contractor organisation involved in many pipeline and infrastructure projects in Australia, the Pacific Islands and South East Asia.
I joined APA Group in 2012 as Group Executive Infrastructure Development, a position I still hold today.
In this role I look after engineering services, procurement and the delivery of our infrastructure expansion projects.
The role also includes primary responsibility for asset management, project development and technical regulation of all pipeline related assets.
Some key projects that I have been involved in during my career include the SEA Gas pipeline, Bonaparte Gas pipeline, Eastern Corridor Recycled Water Pipeline and more recently the Victorian Interconnect Expansion, Eastern Goldfields Pipeline and the Wallumbilla and Moomba compressor station projects.
The most pressing issue the pipeline industry faces at present is…
I’m not sure there is a single pressing issue but there are several key issues that come to mind.
Firstly is the role of the Research Standards Committee (RSC) and Energy Pipelines CRC. The current term for the Energy Pipelines CRC will come to an end in a few years and it may not be extended. It’s important that we have a model that will allow us to continue the valuable research generated through the RSC and Energy Pipelines CRC. I know the Energy Pipelines CRC is very focused on this issue.
Secondly is energy security. With the huge increase in demand for gas on the east coast, energy security and particularly gas supply has become very important . There will be ongoing focus on this in the next few years. Suffice to say it is incredibly important we have an overall national approach.
Finally, over-regulation can slow project development and inhibit investment so it’s important that businesses are allowed to invest in growth that is good for the country’s economic wellbeing. At times there can be a focus that hinders or restricts development to satisfy outspoken minority groups.
Mark Twycross (Twycross and Partners)
I have been on the APGA Board for…
I have been on the APGA Board since 2000. I was APGA President in 2004-05, and have been the Chair of the APGA HSE Committee since 2002.
I have been in the pipeline industry for…
I have been in the pipeline industry since 1975. I started on the Maui Pipeline in New Zealand with McConnell Dowell, and have worked on pipeline and infrastructure projects and businesses throughout Australia, Papua New Guinea, South East Asia, the Caspian, the Middle East, Africa and the UK.
I was Chairman of the MCJV on the PNG LNG Project’s Komo Airport construction, the Queensland Curtis LNG and Australia Pacific LNG pipelines, and as General Manager during the construction of the Pipelines Roma Hub for the GLNG Project.
I have spent the past two years building the Quanta Services Australia through acquisitions of Nacap, CPP and Enscope.
My favourite project was the Southern Regional Water Pipeline Alliance where the McConnell Dowell, Abi and KBR JV constructed the water infrastructure in southeast Queensland from 2005 to 2012.
The most pressing issue the pipeline industry faces at present is…
The most pressing issues the pipeline industry faces at present are firstly the lack of project work as the owners go through a restructure after the boom of the CSG to LNG projects to Curtis Island, and secondly the realignment of contractor and owner cost structures to cater for the oil price below $50 per barrel.
Of course the industry must continue its headline HSE performance where Australian construction leads the industry in terms of having the safest projects.
Directors Mark Dayman and Dave Maloney were unavailable at time of production.